Low profile vehicle escape hatch assembly

ABSTRACT

An escape hatch assembly mountable in an opening in the roof of a vehicle which includes a frame member having an egress opening defined by upstanding side walls that are arranged to extend upwardly into the opening in the roof of the vehicle, a flange member extending outwardly from the lower portion of said frame member and arranged to abut the inside surface of the roof of the vehicle; and attachment elements for securing the flange member to the inside surface of the roof of the vehicle. A method of installing the escape hatch upwardly through an opening the roof of a vehicle is also disclosed.

Background of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates generally to escape hatchassemblies of the type that can be mounted in vehicles, and moreparticularly to escape hatch assemblies of this type that are mounted inthe roof of the vehicle to permit persons within the vehicle to escapein an emergency situation.

[0002] It is well known to provide escape hatch assemblies in an openingformed in the roof of vehicles, such as buses, and these escape hatchassemblies are normally in a closed position to seal such opening. Amechanism is usually provided that permits occupants inside the vehicleto open the escape hatch member in an emergency where the doors of thevehicle are not accessible, and to escape through the opening. In manycases these conventional escape hatch assemblies are also provided witha mechanism that permits the escape hatch member to be partially openedto ventilate the inside of the vehicle.

[0003] These conventional escape hatch assemblies have two significantdisadvantages. First, the procedure for mounting the escape hatchassembly in the roof of the vehicle is somewhat time consuming and laborintensive. Also, once installed, the escape hatch assembly has arelatively high profile (e.g.2.5 inches) above the top surface of thevehicle that exposes it to possible damage.

[0004] More specifically, conventional escape hatches are mounted fromthe outside of the vehicle by hoisting the escape hatch assembly upthrough the opening in the top of the vehicle and temporarily manuallyholding the escape hatch assembly in place, and this requires two peoplein many cases. Then, the escape hatch assembly is attached to the topwall of the vehicle using rivets, screws, adhesives and the like, andthis procedure is carried out from outside the vehicle. Finally, theinstaller(s) go back inside the bus to attach a piece of trim around theinside surface of the escape hatch assembly.

[0005] Once the escape hatch assembly is installed, the frame portion ofthe assembly, which is mounted to the top surface of the roof of thevehicle, protrudes upwardly through the roof of the vehicle for severalinches above the outer surface of the roof, and the escape hatch memberis positioned on top of this upwardly extending portion of the frame.The result is that the upper portion of the escape hatch assemblyextends upwardly above the outer surface of the roof in an exposedposition. Moreover, the attachment screws, adhesives, etc. are locatedat an exposed position on the outside of the roof of the vehicle, and,as a result, mechanical fasteners such as screws can rust, and adhesivescan deteriorate because they are constantly exposed to weatherconditions. Another disadvantage of known escape hatch assemblies isthat they usually require two sealing members, one between the framemember of the escape hatch and the roof of the vehicle and one betweenthe frame member and the escape hatch member of the escape hatchassembly.

[0006] This exposed position of the roof hatch assembly can present asafety problem. If the vehicle is in an accident and rolls over so thatthe top of the vehicle strikes the ground or road, the exposed escapehatch may be damaged to an extent that it becomes inoperative andincapable of performing its intended function of permitting theoccupants in the vehicle to escape through the escape hatch assembly. Insome cases, the vehicles may have roll bars that extend vertically abovethe roof of the vehicle, but conventional escape hatch assemblies have avertical extent above the top of the roof of the bus that is greaterthan that of the roll bars. Moreover, because some vehicles are beingmade with an increased vertical height, the exposed escape hatchassembly may also become damaged because the exposed portion of theescape hatch assembly will strike low hanging obstacles that are in thepath of the exposed portion, such as, for example, highway overpasses,awnings of hotel entrances, and tree limbs.

[0007] The escape hatch assembly of the present invention overcomes orameliorates these disadvantages of conventional escape hatch assemblies,and provides an escape hatch assembly that can be installed easily andquickly at a reduced cost, and, once installed, the exposed portion ofthe escape assembly has a significantly reduced profile that improvesits safety characteristics and it also provides better sealingcharacteristics between the roof of the vehicle and the escape hatchassembly.

Summary of the Invention

[0008] In accordance with the present invention, an escape hatchassembly is provided which is mountable in an opening in the roof of avehicle, and this escape hatch includes a frame member having an egressopening defined by upstanding side walls that are arranged to extendupwardly through the opening in the roof of the vehicle, and includes aflange member extending outwardly from the lower portion of the framemember and arranged to abut the inside surface of the roof of thevehicle. Attachment devices are provided for securing the flange memberto the inside surface of the roof of the vehicle. An escape hatch memberis attached to the frame member for movement between a closed positionat which the escape hatch member closes the egress opening above theframe member by directly engaging a resilient sealing member, and anopen position spaced from the frame sufficiently to permit egress ofpersons through the egress opening in the frame member.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the escape hatch assembly of thepresent invention, the resilient sealing member is arranged to extendaround the perimeter of a hole cut in the roof of the vehicle adjacentthe upstanding side walls of the frame member. Additionally, the escapehatch member may be attached to the frame member. by a hinge mechanismthat permits the escape hatch member to be pivoted between its first andsecond positions, and the flange member may include openings thereindisposed to permit attachment screws to be screwed upwardly into theinside surface of the roof of the vehicle. Finally, it is preferred thatthe outward extent of the escape hatch assembly above the top surface ofthe roof of the vehicle does not exceed one inch.

[0010] The present invention also provides a method of installing anescape hatch assembly in an opening formed in the roof of a vehicle,which method, briefly summarized, includes the steps of mounting aresilient sealing ring around the edge of the opening in the roof of thevehicle; moving an upper portion of the escape assembly upwardly throughthe opening in the roof of the vehicle from inside the vehicle; andattaching the lower portion of the escape hatch assembly to the insidesurface of the roof of the vehicle from inside the vehicle.

[0011] This method, preferably, may also include the steps of pivotingthe escape hatch member away from the frame member; then moving theescape hatch member and frame member upwardly into the opening in theroof of the vehicle from inside the vehicle; pivoting the escape hatchmember from inside the vehicle to its closed position generally adjacentthe frame member; temporarily supporting the escape hatch assembly inthe opening by positioning the escape hatch member so that it rests onthe resilient sealing member on the roof of the vehicle, and thenactuating linkage mechanisms to more securely hold the escape hatchassembly in place before the escape hatch assembly is attached to theinside surface of the roof of the vehicle..

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012]FIG. 1 is a perspective view looking generally down on an escapehatch assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0013]FIG. 2 is a perspective view looking generally up to the escapehatch illustrated in FIG. 1;

[0014]FIG. 3 illustrates a roof of a vehicle, and one step of the methodof installing an escape hatch assembly in accordance with the presentinvention;

[0015]FIG. 4 illustrates another step of the method of installing anescape hatch assembly in accordance with the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 5 illustrates another step of the method of installing anescape hatch assembly in accordance with the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 6 illustrates another step of the method of installing anescape hatch assembly in accordance with the present invention; and

[0018]FIG. 7 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the escape hatchmember with a sealing gasket attached directly thereto.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0019] Looking now in greater detail at the accompanying drawings, FIGS.1 and 2 illustrate an escape hatch assembly 10 according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention. The escape hatch assembly 10includes a frame member 12 formed with vertically upstanding wallportions 14 that are generally rectangular in shape and define an egressopening 16. The frame 12 also includes a flange member 18 that extendsoutwardly from the bottom or lower portion of the upstanding wallportions 14, and this flange member 18 has a slight curvature thatcorresponds generally to the curvature of the inside surface of the roofof a vehicle into which the escape hatch assembly 12 is to be installedas described in greater detail below.

[0020] The escape hatch assembly 10 also includes an escape hatch member20 that is attached to the frame 12 by a pair of conventional linkages22 which are well known in the art, and which can be manually operatedto raise and lower the respective ends of the escape hatch member 20relative to the frame 12. As is well known in the art, either linkagecan be operated to raise only one of the sides of the escape hatchmember 20 relative to the frame 12 to permit ventilating air to passinto the vehicle through that side of the escape hatch member 20, orboth linkages 22 can be manually operated to move the escape hatchmember 20 between a raised or open position for full ventilation asillustrated in FIG. 1 or a lowered or closed position abutting the frame12 as illustrated in FIG. 5. The escape hatch member 20 preferably has acurvature that is equal to or slightly tighter than the curvature of theoutside surface of the roof of the vehicle for a purpose to be describedin greater detail below.

[0021] As best seen in FIG. 2, one of the linkages 22 are attached to arelease mechanism 24 that is also conventional, and that includes arelease handle 26 pivotally mounted on a flange 28. As well known in theart, when the handle 26 is pivoted to an opening position, theconnecting member 30 that extends between the two linkage elements inthe linkage element 22 is released from the upstanding support 32 thatis attached to the inside surface of the escape hatch member 20. At theother end of the escape hatch member 20, the connecting linkage member30 is mounted on a pair of pivot flanges 34, each of which is mounted tothe -escape hatch member 20 by a hinge mechanism 36.

[0022] Accordingly, when the handle 26 is pivoted to an openingposition, the end of the escape hatch member 20 which is at the rear ofthe vehicle separates from the support 32, and the hinge mechanisms 36are positioned relative to the frame 12 so that the escape hatch member20 can be readily pivoted about the hinge mechanisms 36 until the escapehatch member 20 is pivoted more than ninety degrees about the hingemechanism 36 so that it is fully opened to permit passengers in thevehicle to leave the vehicle through the egress opening 16 in theupstanding wall portions 14 of the frame 12.

[0023] The present inventions also includes a unique and advantageousmethod of installing the escape hatch assembly 10 in the roof 38 of avehicle as best illustrated in FIGS. 3-6. Preferably, the first step inthe installation possess is illustrated in FIG. 3, and includes the stepof attaching a sealing gasket 40 around the edge 42 of the upper surfaceof the vehicle roof 38 which defines a generally rectangular opening 44in the roof 38. The sealing gasket 40 may be split, as illustrated inFIG. 3, in which case it is easy to install, and it is usually necessaryto add an adhesive or the like between the abutting cut ends after thesealing gasket 40 has been installed to provide a complete seal aroundthe entire periphery of the sealing gasket 40. However, in manyapplications, the sealing gasket 40 is preferably formed of onecontinuous strip of sealing material as illustrated in FIG. 4 toeliminate any gaps in the sealing gasket 40. In either case, it ispreferred that the thickness of the sealing gasket be such that itextends above the surface of the roof of the vehicle so that it can bedirectly engaged by the escape hatch member 20 as will be discussedbelow. Additionally, a second sealing gasket 50 can be mounted directlyon the bottom surface of the escape hatch member 20 as illustrated inFIG. 8, and it can be positioned to engage the top surface of thevehicle roof 38 directly to provide a seal therebetween, in which casethe sealing gasket 40 may not be necessary, or it may engage the topsurface of the sealing gasket 40 to provide an additional sealtherebetween.

[0024] Next, as best seen in FIG. 4, the release handle 26 of the escapehatch assembly 10 is operated to release the escape hatch member 20 asdescribed above, and the escape hatch member 20 is pivoted away from theframe 12 about the hinges 36. The escape hatch assembly 10 is then movedupwardly through the opening 44 in the roof 38 from the inside of thevehicle. The escape hatch assembly 10 is moved into sealing engagementwith the gasket 40, after which the escape hatch member 20 is pivotedback to its closed position, or vice versa. In this position, the escapehatch assembly 10 is temporarily, and somewhat loosely, held in place inthe roof opening 44 by the escape hatch member 20 resting on the sealinggasket 40 at the top surface of the vehicle roof 38, and, by properlyoperating the hinge mechanisms to pull the frame 12 upwardly until theflange 18 is moved into contact with the inside surface of the vehicleroof 38, the escape hatch assembly 10 can be more securely held in placein preparation for the next step in the installation procedure.

[0025] Thereafter, as best illustrated in FIG. 6, the installer securesthe flange portion 18 to the inside surface of the vehicle roof 38 usinga plurality of conventional attachment elements 46, which may be screws,rivets, or other known method of attaching one member to another, andwhich are inserted through openings 48 formed in the flange portion 18.Since the flange portion 18 is connected to the inside surface of theroof 38, it is not necessary to have the separate trim element that isusually required in conventional escape hatch assemblies, which is oneof the features of the present invention. As discussed above, the flange18 is formed with a curvature corresponding generally to the curvatureof the inside of the vehicle roof 38 so that it will abut evenly withsuch inside surface to provide a neat appearance. Also, after the escapehatch assembly has been installed, it is preferred that the escape hatchmember 20 will, in its closed position, directly engage the sealinggasket 40. Since the escape hatch member 20 is provided with a curvaturecorresponding to or tighter than the curvature of the vehicle roof 38 asdescribed above, when it is pulled down into contact with the sealinggasket 40, a much better sealing engagement between the sealing gasketand the escape hatch member 20 is obtained. In many instances, evengreater sealing integrity is obtained by making the curvature of theescape hatch member 20 slightly tighter than the curvature of thevehicle roof 38 (e.g. a curvature having a radius of ninety-two inchesas compared with a radius of one hundred and two inches for the roof ofthe vehicle) because the forces pulling down the escape hatch member 20to its closed position will create spring-like forces generally in thecenter portions of the front and rear edges of the escape hatch member20 that increases the sealing contact with the sealing gasket 40.

[0026] It will be noted from the description above that all of the stepsrequired to install the escape hatch assembly 10 can be done from insidethe vehicle, and all of the steps can be carried out by one installer.For example, one installer can easily move the escape hatch assembly 10up through the opening 44 as illustrated in FIG. 4, and since the roofhatch assembly 10 is thereafter temporarily held in place by the escapehatch member 20 resting on the vehicle roof 38, the sole installer canthen secure the escape hatch assembly 10 to the roof of the vehicleusing the attachment elements 46 without the need of another installerto hold the escape hatch assembly 10 in place while it is being secured.

[0027] Moreover, since the frame 12 is secured to the inside surface ofthe vehicle roof 38, and the upstanding wall portions 14 extend upwardlyinto the thickness of the vehicle roof 38, the upper edge of theupstanding wall portions 14 may engage the sealing ring or gasket 40 toprevent moisture, debris or the like from entering the space between thesealing gasket 40 and escape hatch assembly 10, but even if theupstanding wall portions 14 do not engage the sealing gasket 40, it willnevertheless have a vertical extent that is less the thickness of thevehicle roof 38 between its inner and outer skins. Accordingly, evenwhen the escape hatch member 20 is at its closed position directly inengagement with the sealing gasket 40 as described above, the profile orvertical extent of the escape hatch assembly 10 above the top surface ofthe vehicle roof 38 is less than one inch, which is considerably lessthan known escape hatch arrangements. If optional conventional add-onsare added to the basic escape hatch assembly 10, such as power fans,static vents, and power actuators (not shown), the total vertical heightof the escape hatch assembly 10 above the top surface of the vehicleroof 38 may exceed one inch, but it will still be substantially lessthan conventional escape hatch assemblies which have correspondingadd-ons. Finally, it will be noted that once the escape hatch assembly10 is installed as described above, none of the components thereofprotrude lower than the flange portion 18 and into the interior of thevehicle where they could present a safety hazard for passengers in thevehicle.

[0028] It will therefore be readily appreciated that the presentinvention not only offers a safer escape hatch assembly 10 which is lesslikely to be damaged if the vehicle should roll over onto its roof andis less likely to be struck by structures frequently encountered byvehicles as described above, but the escape hatch assembly 10 can alsobe quickly and easily installed in the vehicle roof 38 in a shorterperiod of time and with less labor than that required by known escapehatch arrangements. Another significant safety feature offered by thepresent invention is the fact that no workmen are required to be on topof the vehicle during the installation of the escape hatch assembly 10,whereas in conventional installation procedures, workmen are exposed togreater risks as they work from the top of the vehicle and they may evenbe required to wear safety harnesses or similar safety equipment..

[0029] It will therefore be readily understood by those persons skilledin the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utilityand application. Many embodiments and adaptations of the presentinvention other than those herein described, as well as many variations,modifications and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from orreasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoingdescription thereof, without departing from the substance or scope ofthe present invention. Accordingly, while the present invention has beendescribed herein in detail in relation to its preferred embodiment, itis to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative andexemplary of the present invention and is made merely for purposes ofproviding a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoingdisclosure is not intended or to be construed to limit the presentinvention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments,adaptations, variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, thepresent invention being limited only by the claims appended hereto andthe equivalents thereof.

1. An escape hatch assembly mountable in an opening in the roof of avehicle, such escape hatch including (a) a frame member having an egressopening defined by upstanding side walls that are arranged to extendupwardly, and having a flange member extending outwardly from the lowerportion of said frame member and arranged to abut the inside surface ofthe roof of the vehicle; (b) attachment means for securing the framemember to the inside surface of the roof of the vehicle; and (c) anescape hatch member attached to the frame member for movement between aclosed position at which the escape hatch member closes the egressopening in the frame member, and an open position spaced from the framesufficiently to permit egress of persons through the egress opening inthe frame member.
 2. An escape hatch assembly as defined in claim 1,wherein a resilient sealing member is arranged to extend around theopening in the roof of the vehicle.
 3. An escape hatch assembly asdefined in claim 2, wherein a second sealing member is attached to saidescape hatch member and positioned to engage said first resilientsealing member when said escape hatch member is in its closed position.4. An escape hatch assembly as defined in claim 2, wherein saidresilient sealing member engages the upper end of said upstanding wallsto provide a seal therebetween.
 5. An escape hatch assembly as definedin claim 1, wherein a resilient sealing member is mounted on said escapehatch member for engaging the roof of said vehicle to provide a sealtherebetween when said escape hatch member is in its closed position. 6.An escape hatch assembly as defined in claim 2, wherein said resilientsealing ring engages said escape hatch member when it is in its closedposition.
 7. An escape hatch assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein theescape hatch member is attached to the frame member by a hinge mechanismthat permits the escape hatch member to be pivoted between its first andsecond positions.
 8. An escape hatch assembly as defined in claim 1,wherein the flange member includes openings therein disposed to permitattachment screws to be screwed upwardly into the inside surface of theroof of the vehicle.
 9. An escape hatch assembly as defined in claim 1,wherein the outward extent of the entire escape hatch assembly above thetop surface of the roof of the vehicle does not exceed one inch.
 10. Anescape hatch assembly as defined in claim 2, wherein said escape hatchmember is in direct sealing contact with said resilient sealing memberin said closed position of said escape hatch member, and spaced fromsaid upstanding walls of said frame member.
 11. An escape hatch assemblyas defined in claim 1, wherein said escape hatch member has a curvaturecorresponding generally to the curvature of the exterior surface of theroof of the vehicle.
 12. An escape hatch assembly as defined in claim 1,wherein said escape hatch member has a curvature that is slightlytighter than the curvature of the exterior surface of the roof of thevehicle.
 13. A method of installing an escape hatch assembly in anopening formed in the roof of a vehicle, said method including the stepsof: (a) mounting a resilient sealing ring around the edge of the openingin the roof of the vehicle; (b) moving an upper portion of the escapeassembly upwardly through the opening in the roof of the vehicle frominside the vehicle; (c) attaching the lower portion of the escape hatchassembly to the inside surface of the roof of the vehicle from insidethe vehicle.
 14. A method of installing an escape hatch assembly in anopening formed in the roof of a vehicle, the escape hatch assemblyincluding a frame member having a flange member extending outwardly fromthe bottom portion of the frame member, and an escape hatch memberpivotally mounted to the upper portion of the frame member, said methodincluding the steps of: (a) mounting a resilient sealing ring around theinside edge of the opening in the roof of the vehicle; (b) pivoting theescape hatch member away from the frame member; (c) moving the escapehatch member and frame member upwardly into the opening in the roof ofthe vehicle from inside the vehicle until the frame member is adjacentthe resilient sealing ring and the flange member is disposed at theinside surface of the roof of the vehicle; (d) pivoting the escape hatchmember from inside the vehicle to a position generally adjacent theframe member; (e) temporarily supporting the escape hatch assembly inthe opening by positioning the escape hatch member so that it rests onthe roof of the vehicle; (f) actuating mechanical linkages disposedbetween the frame member and the escape hatch member to more securelyhold the escape hatch assembly in place; and (g) attaching the flangemember to the inside surface of the roof of the vehicle from inside thevehicle.